Page 73 - Journal of Library Science in China 2020 Vol.46

072 Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.12, 2020

related to their educational level. In 2018, of 556 visitors of the farmers’ reading room, 139 were
with junior college, undergraduate or above, 135 with high school or technical secondary school
degree, 181 with junior high school degree, and 101 with primary school degree, which basically
conforms to the rule that the higher education is, the greater possibility of participation (see Table
2). When asked why they did not have the habit of reading, 33.2% of the surveyed residents chose
the answer “illiterate and having difficulties in reading”, following the option “too busy making
money to read” (40.4%). When asked why they did not go to the farmers’ reading rooms, 25.6%
of the surveyed residents said that it was because they were “illiterate”. A member of the village
committee said, “Although some poets were born in our village, the educated people have all
gone away and the left are those without education and the ability to read.” “I often accompany
my grandson to the farmers’ reading room, but I never borrowed any books. I can’t read,” said a
70-year-old resident. “I don’t know what information is. I can’t read, and I’ve never read a book,”
said a woman who did cleaning at the village committee. The educational level limits the public
reading ability of some villagers.

Table 2. Cross-comparison table between educational level and whether they have been to the farmers’ reading room
Have you ever been to the “farmers’ reading room”
Education level in our village in 2018 Total
Yes Proportion (%) No Proportion (%)
Primary school and below 101 53.72 87 46.28 188
Junior middle school 181 68.82 82 31.18 263
Senior high school, technical secondary school 135 68.53 62 31.47 197
Junior college, college graduate 139 70.55 58 29.45 197
and above
Total 556 65.80 289 34.20 845

3.1.2 Reading cognition
The cognition of rural public reading originates from the knowledge level or state of cognition
shaped by the information process of residents’ reception, perception, synthesis, coding,
reconstruction and judgment of public reading behavior, process and value. It is the accumulation
of existing knowledge and experience. According to the cognition and behavior theory proposed
by Albert Bandura, cognition has a coordinating effect on behavior and directly affects whether an
individual finally takes action (Bamdura, 1997). The planned behavior theory proposed by I. Ajzen
et al. also believes that behavioral attitudes, subjective norms and intuitive behaviors will control
and determine behavioral intentions which directly determine people’s behaviors (Ajzen, 1991).
The cognitive levels of individuals influence their actual behaviors directly, and cognition is the
premise of action.
The survey found that rural residents’ overall awareness of the importance of reading was
not high. 24.1% of surveyed residents considered reading as “very important” for personal